At the annual summer meeting of premiers in St. Andrews New Brunswick, Doug Ford, the newly elected premier of Ontario and Saskatchewan鈥檚 premier, Scott Moe, announced their united decision to fight the federal government鈥檚 carbon tax. Both Moe and Ford said they believe Canada must have a climate-change strategy, but the premiers also said the carbon tax threatens families and puts jobs at risk.
Moe鈥檚 negative reaction to the carbon tax shouldn鈥檛 be surprising as the Saskatchewan Party is financed by corporate interests, who predictably despise all taxes. Still, Moe recognizes climate change is an actuality that can鈥檛 be overlooked. After all, climate change is hard to ignore. Glaciers are shrinking, the country鈥檚 sea surface temperatures continue to rise, the ice on Canadian lakes and rivers are melting faster than ever. Much of Canada has experienced an increase in precipitation from five to 35 per cent as the climate warms. Moreover, the effects of climate change are critical for Saskatchewan鈥檚 agriculture, as the province鈥檚 winters are instrumental in destroying pests and crop diseases.
I believe the Trudeau government has taken many great initiatives as of late. Yet, the carbon tax might be a short-sighted moment, especially in consideration of Saskatchewan鈥檚 agricultural industry. Certainly, the visible realities of climate change shouldn鈥檛 be ignored, but Saskatchewan鈥檚 farmers and ranchers 鈥� the heart and soul of this province 鈥� will be harmed by this tax.聽聽聽聽聽聽
I believe the best way to address climate change is by encouraging Saskatchewan鈥檚 agricultural producers to continue adopting improved farming practices. Implementing higher fuel prices for Saskatchewan鈥檚 farmers and ranchers isn鈥檛 the best way to progress, as the carbon tax will merely raise operational costs. Arguably, the positive influences resulting from the carbon tax on the environment might be minimal at best.聽聽聽
In the spring, Minister of Environment Dustin Duncan said the national inventory report of provincial and national emissions failed to account for Saskatchewan鈥檚 soil and forest sequestration. According to Duncan, Saskatchewan soils are sequestering an average of nine mega tonnes of carbon annually, whereas the province鈥檚 forests sequester 3.5 mega tonnes of carbon each year. Carbon sequestration refers to storing carbon dioxide, thus deterring the effects of global warming. Methods such as zero-till farming and increasing acres of tame forage help to sequester larger amounts of carbon. Moreover, the expansion of pulse crops are also assisting in decreasing provincial emissions.
Since a trade war appears to be looming with the United States, Canada鈥檚 economic security might be jeopardized even further with the carbon tax in play. In light of NAFTA鈥檚 possible disintegration, Canada鈥檚 industries must remain strong, competitive and viable. Therefore, the Liberals should rethink their carbon tax strategy by devising better methods to reduce emissions without negatively impacting Saskatchewan鈥檚 agricultural sector. Clearly, Moe, Ford and Trudeau need to have a long chat over the summer.
